New-York tribune., 1887-05-15
PRIVATE VIEWS.
~uv poy.1 ACADEMY AND THE GRosvENoR
GALLERY.

a NAV n
/, abandon tends to overgrowth, and the opening
= - os neither the Royal Academy nor the Gros-
80, Gallery can be called an exception to the
sn,s Tbe one mark of privacy they have in COM
Ton ;s that you cannot got in BY paying. don
fnov how many invitations are issued, but tney
20 numbered In each case by thousands. All 'ha'
con he said is that limit of some kind exists; no
nntsder. unless it be the printer. knows wnat 'nS'
limit ia Nor does he know fully what rue Is Vo-
Served in The distribution of those coVeUeu 0"iuS'
for coveted they are, though year Dy year V"o
pany al each show becomes more anu nlo'o
lannon's. The council of the Royal Academy or""S
mn each year list OF persons "noso pios 49,
Z. Sos;res Then each Academician ana, peie'o'
n.oh Associate. is allowed fixed number Oh carus
sd;str;hpte at will The form varies iroui 'ii"' VI
ceremonious solicitation TO that OF a mere loIiu'"
If admission. Matters are simpler az .lo 'io
venor Gallery. Sir COutts Lindsay Is .He ",on-
Arch of all he surveys and invitations are lSsueu "
his name. o;.r +o sov
w. o.. 'ot osked Not ROYALTIES. since for them a
snec;al and earlier day is set apart 1t Is saIe 10
oas .hot eminent picture-buyer come first on inc
ToraI Academy list, If they happen to be eminent
- otber things so much the better The Peerage
e q boo,, nuch used for the purpose OF choosing
Ont names. Dignitaries Of many kinds are asHeo'
Cabine, Ministers for example Persons OF dlstlnc-
+;on in various professions have good chance ol
attaining to this honor; the clergy, In cohslderaoie
force: men of letters artists, II they Deong W 'no
Academy. or are exhibitors; actors ana actresses'
men of science but in no great number; a iew par
tis+ers. n few doctors; few journalists. multi
}deof those excellent and estinabe persons called
nohodies are counted in From ten IN the morning
AM seven IN the evening are the hours named on
the cards. Ineyer knew whether anybody arrived
at the first moment or stayed TILL the laSI I"-
tbusiasts for British art who really WISH u SEQ
the very latest products of the Academlcal oruSn
90 early in the day when there IS no great crown
md the pictures on the line are visible lhey are
To be met from eleven to about half past two, wheh
the rush begins
To the great majority of favored ones private
view is simply huge afternoon party. lhey 60 10
see and 10 be seen. Time was whento DE present Oh
krch an OCCASION like being present in the koyai En-
closure al Ascot implied certain social posltlon an
allowance made for artists and artists frlenns VINO
we're there as of right and who might or might not
have o care for social rank or consideration. Now
nothing is implied. There were hundreds oil men
md women in these Academy galleries on Friday
who are at the top of the social tree There were
many more hundreds who never sit beneath its
shade. One OF bWO ufiiS bhPSiSt tCA'S"A'7 49,
of the society journals printlOng catalogues OF
ceebrties or wOuld-be celebrities present at these
soemplties. The latter are perhaps in the majority
IN nrint ~ they are in the rooms. This is a demo-
cratic age and growing more 50. If so many OF thse
names are unknown IN London. ii is certain they
,vould be unknown in America may remark also
that the perspective is not always right when the
standnoint is remote 1t would be odd If il were.
The foreigner or cousin beyond the sea sometimes
snpposes. naturally enough, that political reputa-
fon or literary fame insures It's owner soclai recos
milton in England. 1t does not. Nothing lnsures
it-rank no more than abilities. proportion OF
The peerage is not in society at ALL but in the papers
title is supposed to confer distinction. But al
most any name is good enough to fill gap.
Nor is it deemed enough to give names. even OF
ladies' Their dresses are described; opinions are
offered TO the public about their looks and whether
they seemed to the beholder more or less lovely
Than on the last occasion when they were seen by
their admirers, perhaps year ago at the previous
private view. The Countess de Grey, for example
there is no woman whose face and figure are
known to more people, and even amid throng II
;s easy TO distinguish her and TO make remarks on
her bonnet. She has gone early to the Academy
with Mrs White and the bystander. II he happen
10 be there at the right moment, may form DIS
oninion Of the marble busts of these two beautiful
women bv comparison with the originals. The
busts are side bv side. one on each hand or the
doorway that separates the great gallery from the
sculpture room They are admirable but perhaps
II is hardly fair to NJ. Carries to subject them 10
this competition. Mr.. and Mrs. Gladstone are not
far off. not in marble but in the flesh; he as
serious as ever and studying his catalogue
with assiduity; the pictures also. The Duke OF
J.c@o wit .an Constance
Campbell. his daughter and the two political foes,
onee pollical friends seem to have nothing to say
TO zach ether Lady Sails bury came later but not,
think. the Prime Minister. The American d-
vision was headed by the American Minister and
Mrs. Phelps and suppose Lady Randolph Church
I'M may still be incuded in it, The ColoDials were
there-wbere are they notY An Austrian beauty
Countess Ka rolyi, wife of the Austrian Ambas-
sador was almost as much mobbed-there IS no
other word for it-as Lady Colin Campbell Inc
latter was dominant figure both on Friday ut the
ecademy and on Saturday at the Grosvenor. 1t is
still the British custom on these and other occa-
sions TO stare at women and follow them about the
rooms Men for some reason escape this ordeal
Remark however, that women are not mobbed by
men only but by their own sex quite as much, OF
perhaps more GLOW else are we to see what she
has on 7" was the answer OF one OF these radiant
creatures in pursuit Of another creature even more
radiant Spring bonnets and gowns are brought
out to the private view in order to be viewed. not
privately. The weather last week was not favor
able to the display of the lighter fabrics. or
for bonnets of the butterfly species
But noble ambition will triumph
oyer mere considerations of climate. What is
more to the credit of the good sense of the sex is
the almost final extinction and disappearance OF
The aesthetic female. A few lingcr untimely on
The scene The terra Gotta nightgowns aud baby
Erocks on full grown women, and strange garments
of indescrbable cut and color have gone TO the old
clothes dealers. Most of those who once wore
Them content themselves with some less con-
spcuous caprice of costume-al but two or three
whom could name. bat for civilitys sake Will not.
Not even at the Grosvenor, once reckoned the